


All Better Now

by Nicolemoon8



Series: Irondad Comfortember 2020 [7]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Comfortember 2020, Fluff, Forehead Kisses, Gen, Hugs, Hurt/Comfort, Irondad, Peter Parker Gets a Hug, Peter Parker Has Anxiety, Peter Parker Has Panic Attacks, Protective Tony Stark, Sleepy Peter Parker, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark is Good With Kids, spiderson
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-30
Updated: 2020-11-30
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:40:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,136
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27794746
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nicolemoon8/pseuds/Nicolemoon8
Summary: Tony gets an alert from Karen saying the Spider Kid is in need of some assistance.  You'd think after nearly a year of answering to these calls it'd get easier in some way, but you'd be dead wrong. Thankfully Tony has some experience when it comes to helping Peter Parker, especially when anxiety is involved.COMFORTEMBER PROMPTS INCLUDED:21. Hugs22. Kisses (Platonic)23. Exhaustion24. Panic Attacks
Relationships: Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Series: Irondad Comfortember 2020 [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2007865
Comments: 9
Kudos: 126
Collections: Comfortember 2020





	All Better Now

**Author's Note:**

> Friends, I am so proud of this. I can recall every single panic attack I've ever had like they're forever etched into my very being. And yet, here I stand. It is so cathartic to me to write my experiences and to talk to people about my anxiety and panic attacks. No one's alone when dealing with this crap, that's one of the beauties of the internet. So if you want to chat or are simply curious, I'm here and willing to share. With that being said:
> 
> *TRIGGER WARNING*  
> Descriptive details of a panic attack while it ocurrs in a main character and is a significant portion of this story. Please stay safe.

Tony tried to figure out how his stomach could drop and his heart could leap at the same time as he jumped off the Penthouse balcony in response to Karen's distress call.

"God, the stress from this kid is unreal." He mumbled as his suit formed and shot him towards Queens. You'd think after nearly a year of answering to these calls it'd get easier in some way but you'd be completely wrong. If anything, it felt like his nerves frayed a little more each time he saw his kid upset or hurt. But as soon as the kid was fixed up and scolded he would always shine his big brown eyes and give his mentor a shy little smile that somehow always erased every ounce of stress caused by whatever the situation was. As long as the kid smiled in the end, the world felt okay. God, he was such a sap.

He had Friday check vitals as he got closer to Peter's location, he saw minor injuries but got concerned when he noticed the spiked heart rate and respirations. Okay, either physical pain or emotionally upset, hopefully not both or better yet, neither. He didn't have to wait long to see the boy pacing around a rooftop, flashing lights shining a couple blocks over. He tried to calm down by reminding himself he had a 100% success rate of making sure the kid turned out mostly alright after these Spidey related incidents, no reason to believe this time would be any different.

Tony landed with a dull thud that rang out into the night. Peter didn't even seem to notice his arrival which just added more red flags to his mental list. He took a quick second to assess the kid, noting the slightly ripped and stained suit, the frazzled energy coming off him in waves and probably most alarming was the shaky gasps accompanied by the aimless arm movements. The kid was the definition of panic and that made Tony's own chest hurt in a different way than how he knew the kid's must be. 

He'd seen enough of Peter's anxiety and panic attacks to know his intervening could go one of two ways. He'd either rile the boy's nerves up before he crashed hard or he toed the line of being too gentle and then ignored altogether. Either way, Tony's body physically wouldn't let him just stand still and watch his kid struggle.

"Pete, buddy." He retracted the suit until just his forearms were covered in the thin but strong metal casing. Like he said, he'd seen this before. "Hey, hi, it's me. It's Tony." He walked forward, interrupting the boy's directionless path.

The big white lenses on Peter's mask looked up towards the man in front of him. It was funny how Tony only ever saw Peter Parker even when his face was covered. The wheezing coming from the boy made his heart ache. This teenager, of all people, did not deserve to have to deal with this shit. But that wasn't how it worked and he knew it.

"Okay buddy. You have to breathe. I'm gonna touch you okay? I'm putting my hands on your shoulders." He did as he said, putting even pressure through his hands, keeping the boy grounded and in place...for about twelve seconds.

Peter took a half step back and then another until he didn't feel as crowded. How could anyone expect him to sit still when he couldn't breathe, the world was literally squeezing in, stealing everything that he was from him, making him feel nothing but restless anxiety and panic and oh my god why wasn't anyone else freaking out? If only he could catch hold of a thought, any thought, then maybe he could break through it all but as soon as he started thinking anything, it was just lost. Poof. No full sentences were allowed to be thought or comprehended in a panic attack.

"To...Tony. I. I can't…"

"I know buddy, I know. It's okay, I promise you're okay. You're on the roof with me. Can you feel the breeze? It's a little chilly."

Peter was still walking every which way, quickly pivoting and turning trying to find something, anything that might help. Or maybe he was just trying to work off the electricity that was thrumming beneath his skin while simultaneously stealing his energy. But he knew he had to listen to Tony. He slowed down long enough to try to feel the wind. Now that he thought about it, he was pretty cold. The aftereffects of shock from earlier probably didn't help much.

"That's good Pete, that's good. Do you feel the suit on your fingers? I know you like how the little wires remind you of spider webs, even though you're terrified of spiders. Which I still find hilarious by the way." Tony cooed, his voice as soft and calming as he could make it as he carefully watched Peter for any reaction.

Peter nodded shakily, rubbing his fingers together and feeling the fine wires threaded through his gloves.

"Good, good. It sure stinks out here, doesn't it? We must be downwind of some dumpsters because it smells like straight up New York right here." Tony continued, seeing the tension slowly, painfully slowly, leave the kid. Even better he could see Peter starting to breathe easier, and if that didn't just knock the wind out of his own sails with relief he wasn't sure what could. Tony blew out a couple more breaths, loudly enough for Peter to zero in on them, not because he realized he was holding his own breath the whole time or anything.

"God buddy, I'm so proud of you. You're doing so well Pete." He figured it was time for him to hold his kid. He stepped forward again and paused in front of the boy long enough for him to refuse the embrace that was coming if he wanted to. After a moment, Tony wrapped his arms lightly around Peter and held him close, one hand on the boy's back and one bracing the back of his neck.

Peter heaved a huge breath as he relaxed in the arms that always held him up, feeling more like he was Peter again. His hands had residual shakiness in them but he ignored that as he tightened his fists around Tony's shirt, pulling him even closer.

The overpowering tug forward startled a laugh out of Tony. He reached one hand up and slowly pulled the mask off Peter's head, nearly getting a facefull of blown out fluffy curls. He met Peter's red rimmed and wide eyes with his own, smiling lightly before tucking the kid back under his chin. He couldn't resist burying his nose in those soft curls, placing a few kisses against the boy's head.

"You doing better?"

"Mm fine."

"Real convincing Harry Potter."

"Hey, without me you wouldn't even know that reference."

"Well thank god I have you, huh?" Tony teased lightly but words completely serious. 

They let the city noises flow over them, both content to hold each other a while longer. After a few quiet minutes, Peter gave his mentor a squeeze before whispering, "Thank you for helping me. I love you."

Tony looked up towards the stars, willing the tears not to form in his eyes. "I love you too Bud. Now let's get you home and we'll clean you up, okay?"

Peter nodded. "Tower home or apartment home?" He asked mindlessly as he stepped back to allow the man to suit up.

Tony paused a moment, wanting to turn into goo at hearing Peter refer to the Tower so casually as home. He loved it, he loved it so much.

"Tower home, Kiddo." Tony was sure he couldn't keep the fond admiration off his face and out of his voice but it seemed like the kid's onseting sleepiness made that a non-issue, not that it was one in the first place. Peter had taught him it was okay to let others know how he was feeling, and it always felt so easy to do with Pete.

Fully suited, he had Peter put his mask back on, before wrapping his arms around the kid once more. As they took off, Tony made certain to cradle the boy's head and avoid any pressure on the minor injuries from the earlier incident. It didn't take long to reach the Tower's seventy-fourth floor balcony and not even the tiredness could keep the boy from groaning at the sight.

"C'mon Tony, I don't need Med Bay."

With the kid still in his arms, Tony easily ignored him as he carried him forward into one of the all too familiar med rooms. He gently placed the boy on one of the beds, earning an eye roll that was also ignored, before the Iron Man suit fully retracted.

Tony would have laughed at the pout the boy was sporting but figured it wouldn't be received too well, especially since they were both running close to empty.

"Don't look at me like that Roo. I won't call in Cho but I'm sure as hell not gonna let those cuts stay open and dirty."

Peter grumbled a bit but relented at the man's logic. "Fine, but I don't wanna bother a nurse either, they're probably busy enough." The boy hopped off the bed and walked over to the sectioned off corner where he could change into a t-shirt and basketball shorts. Was it depressing or smart that he had clothes stashed in almost every med bay room?

"Kid, you're not a bother. It's 2 AM on a Wednesday, which we will be talking about later by the way," Tony said from where he was grabbing supplies from nearby drawers and cabinets, "and it's a privately owned hospital which I own. That means I can tell you there is only one person here needing any attention." He raised an eyebrow as he looked pointedly at Peter who was taking a seat back on the bed.

"Fine. I just don't like taking up people's time." Peter said a little quieter.

"It's okay to be looked after sometimes Pete, you and Rhodey taught me that. And Pepper come to think of it. Anyway, it's not a problem seeing as I'm an expert in all things Peter and all things small wounds, so there you have it." Tony rolled his stool closer, organizing the bandages, bandaids, wipes and cleaners before looking his kid over. Might as well start from the top down.

The pair were quiet as Tony began cleaning the dried blood off the kid's face, his forearm and finally his knees. The quiet boy was nearly dozing off while sitting up as Tony worked, reminding the man that Peter took on so much for just being a kid. 

Tony continued on, being as quick as possible. He couldn't do much about the bruising along the kid's ribs but was happy to see the cuts overall were small and didn't require much intervention. While the kid's eyes were nearly closed and focusing far off, he couldn't help but place a couple Iron Man themed band-aids on the boy's scraped knees. His smile stretched across his whole face as he took in the sleepy kid who looked so much younger than even sixteen years old. He would have stayed there forever, Peter in front of him safe and within reach but he needed to get his kid to bed.

"Alright Spider-Baby, you're good to go. Even got Iron Man working to fix you up." He nodded down to the boy's knees, smirking as Peter saw the bandaids.

"You're such a dork." Peter mumbled, too tired to hold back a dopey grin from forming.

"Hey, if you don't want the super cool band-aids," Tony held his hands up in surrender, "just let me know."

"I don't know, maybe ones with Thor would help my knees feel better faster." Peter teased, laughing lightly at the playful jealousy such a statement would always cause.

Tony scoffed dramatically. "As if! Iron Man is way cooler. And Thor's not around to do this, is he?" Tony dropped a quick kiss on both band-aids. "There! I'm told that makes it all better, did it work?"

Peter blushed at the parental gesture. God, he couldn't even remember the last time Aunt May or Uncle Ben kissed his scrapes to make them better. It was unreal sometimes that he had Tony in his corner now, the man in front of him going out of his way to make everything better, even if it meant kissing his boo-boos to get a smile out of him.

The dazzling smile that broke through the kid's exhaustion was answer enough for Tony, but the boy tacked on, "Yup, all better now."

**Author's Note:**

> This concludes my Comfortember 2020 series. I used a few substitutions early on for better story flow but if anyone has prompts or would like to see something with baking/the park/recovery, just let me know!
> 
> Were you immersed into the panic? Did you have a favorite part? Did you have a favorite story in this series overall?


End file.
